From 8df8f919c6a3d2285dda85e860f376ea85c7324a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Waciuma Wanjohi Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2020 13:55:20 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Update FAQ language and order [#173862703] Authored-by: Waciuma Wanjohi --- FAQ.md | 64 +++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------------------- 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+), 37 deletions(-) diff --git a/FAQ.md b/FAQ.md index 7740575..fe46cdf 100644 --- a/FAQ.md +++ b/FAQ.md @@ -8,12 +8,12 @@ Alternatively, you could [contribute](#CONTRIBUTING.md) an answer yourself. ## Contents -- [Are Coursera courses free to access?](#are-coursera-courses-free-to-access) - [How can I review the math prerequisites?](#how-can-i-review-the-math-prerequisites) - [What is a good course to learn a language (C++, Rust, Java, etc)?](#what-is-a-good-course-to-learn-a-particular-language) - [Why is the Firebase OSSU app different/broken?](#why-is-the-firebase-ossu-app-different-or-broken) - [In what order should I take the courses?](#in-what-order-should-i-take-the-courses) - [Does every resource in the main curriculum have to be free?](#does-every-resource-in-the-main-curriculum-have-to-be-free) +- [Are Coursera courses free to access?](#are-coursera-courses-free-to-access) - [Is it necessary to purchase the Verified Upgrade for edX courses?](#is-it-necessary-to-purchase-the-verified-upgrade-for-edx-courses) - [Why do you recommend skipping the second half of CS50?](#why-do-you-recommend-skipping-the-second-half-of-cs50) - [Why doesn't the curriculum cover/ignore topic X?](#why-doesnt-the-curriculum-coverignore-topic-x) @@ -22,29 +22,6 @@ Alternatively, you could [contribute](#CONTRIBUTING.md) an answer yourself. ## Questions -### Are Coursera courses free to access? - -Some courses that require payment to access probably do exist on Coursera, but we don't put those on our curriculum. -All Coursera courses that we put on the curriculum must, at minimum, be **free to audit**. -For some courses, all course features are available for free; -for others (especially those that are part of a specialization), you may only be able to access the lecture videos. -(If you find the policies have changed for any courses on our curriculum, please tell us!) - -Unfortunately, for some courses, Coursera's interface is [very aggressive](https://darkpatterns.org/) about convincing you that you have to pay. - -You may see something like this on the course page: - -Free Trial - -When attempting to enroll in such a course: -- Click the blue "Enroll" or "Enroll Now" button. -- A pop-up will appear. -- **Do not click** "Start Free Trial", unless you do want to pay. -- Find the text that says "Audit this course" at the bottom. -- Click **Audit**. - -![Audit this course](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/3349406/27321369-95ca12e6-55cc-11e7-9b5c-f8fedd8fd643.png) - ### How can I review the math prerequisites? Many OSSU students choose to review math topics that they have not studied recently. OSSU recommends students use Khan Academy for such a review. @@ -90,15 +67,34 @@ At the same time, we recognize that education is a resource that requires paymen Therefore, we respect the business model of websites like edX, which make their materials free but with some paid add-ons, like official certificates or extra interaction with course instructors. So we only require that the *learning materials* of a resource be free to access, not that every possible add-on be free. -It would be ideal if graded assignments were always free but if we had this requirement, we would have to exclude any resource that doesn't have graded assignments at all. +It would be ideal if graded assignments were always free. In the event that free assessments are not available OSSU looks for alternate assessments to pair with a course. + +### Are Coursera courses free to access? + +Some courses that require payment to access probably do exist on Coursera, but we don't put those on our curriculum. +All Coursera courses that we put on the curriculum must, at minimum, be **free to audit**. +For some courses, all course features are available for free; +for others (especially those that are part of a specialization), you may only be able to access the lecture videos. +(If you find the policies have changed for any courses on our curriculum, please tell us!) + +Unfortunately, for some courses, Coursera's interface is [very aggressive](https://darkpatterns.org/) about convincing you that you have to pay. + +You may see something like this on the course page: + +Free Trial + +When attempting to enroll in such a course: +- Click the blue "Enroll" or "Enroll Now" button. +- A pop-up will appear. +- **Do not click** "Start Free Trial", unless you do want to pay. +- Find the text that says "Audit this course" at the bottom. +- Click **Audit**. + +![Audit this course](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/3349406/27321369-95ca12e6-55cc-11e7-9b5c-f8fedd8fd643.png) ### Is it necessary to purchase the Verified Upgrade for edX courses? -If you just want to watch the videos, it is never necessary for any edX course on our curriculum. - -CS50 doesn't use edX's grading system; it grades all assignments for free. - -The [Software Development](https://www.edx.org/micromasters/software-development) courses have mostly free quizzes and assignments, but their Final Projects will only be graded by a human if you pay. +If you just want to watch the videos, it is never necessary for any edX course on our curriculum. Note that a number of edX courses only allow students to audit a course for the estimated number of weeks it takes to complete. Students should not begin a course until they are prepared to focus and complete the course. ### Why do you recommend skipping the second half of CS50? @@ -110,13 +106,7 @@ That being said, feel free to finish CS50 if you like it and want to. ### Why doesn't the curriculum cover/ignore topic X? -We have several goals that we have to balance: -- Ensure students learn the timeless principles of computer science in the best possible way, pedagogically speaking. -- Ensure students are given sufficient knowledge of today's systems to be employable in the near future. -- Ensure students are exposed to enough cutting-edge knowledge that they won't be left behind when technology changes, which it always does. -- Keep the curriculum brief enough that it can be completed in a reasonable amount of time. - -Therefore, not everything can be included, but we strive to be eclectic so that students are both employable and well-armed for change. +You can read more about our curricular guidelines and the qualifications of the guidelines' authors [here](CURRICULAR_GUIDELINES.md). If you find a topic that is required by our guidelines and is not included in the curriculum, we should make a change! Read more about [contributing to a change](CONTRIBUTING.md). ### Why is the curriculum missing some pre-requisites?